On the roof of his apartment complex, Kyung-Soo was in a meditative position with a faint red aura outlining his body.
The sheer amount of heat his mana produced caused the area around him to become superheated, to the point where his sweat was evaporated the moment it escaped his pores. He's been in that position for two days now, due to Haewon being over a friends house due to a sleepover.
'Control…control. I have to control my mana.' Kyung-Soo's way of doing this was by trying to maintain his transformation for as long as possible. He was becoming more efficient with his mana usage and refining the chaos it held within.
Though this may sound simple, as single lapse in his focus would cause his mana to go haywire and assume he's in flight or fight, which will dramatically increase his power at the cost of his sanity.
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[Hunters Association, Seoul]
"So let me get this straight. Somebody sneaked past you, a C-Rank Hunter, cleared the gate, and sneaked past you a second time?!" Woo Jinchul yelled. The C-Rank hunter had his head down the entire time and was shaking in his boots.
"It seems the association has some incompetent members. Since it was only a D-Rank gate, I won't fire you, but consider this a warning…" The C-Rank hunter bowed deeply before speedwalking out of the room.
"Taeshik, do we have any surveillance footage of the surrounding area at all?" Woo Jinchul asked his gloomy looking, purple haired subordinate.
Kang Taeshik handed him a file. Inside of the file was various photos of the assailant but one defining feature only made Woo Jinchul more irritated.
"Could he not have worn a better mask? *Sigh*, Taeshik, I want you to take a few people and determine the general area this guy was headed." Taeshik nodded and left the office.
"First that double dungeon incident and now this? What the hell is going on…" Woo Jinchul rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Speaking of that double dungeon, I think that kid woke up…" Woo Jinchul grabbed a briefcase and left the office as well.
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"Achoo!" Kyung-Soo sneezed as he finally stood up after two days.
"Ah man I'm beat! But I can feel that my control over my mana has gotten a lot better!" Kyung-Soo tightened his fists. With more control over his mana some slight physical changes were made as well. His muscles become more defined and his height increased by 2 inches, making him 6'0 (1.8m).
As he was walking down the hallway to his apartment, he happened to see some boxes outside of the room across from him.
'Looks like someone is moving in.' When he walked passed, a beautiful blonde haired woman came out to pick up another box. Her amber eyes made eye contact with his orange ones.
"Ah, hello. I'm Yon Kyung-Soo, I guess you're my new neighbor." Kyung-Soo spoke breaking the silence. The woman stared at him for a bit longer before she spoke, "Sorry I have a habit of zoning out. I'm Park Yujin, it's nice to meet you neighbor, I hope we can get along." She gave him a small smile and put her hand out to shake.
When they shook each others hand they both noticed something.
'Her hand is really cold!'
'Why is his hand so hot?'
"If you need any help with your boxes I'm happy to be of use, I don't really have anything to do right now anyway." Kyung-Soo laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.
Park Yujin tilted her head for a moment before shrugging, "Uh yeah sure, an extra set of hands can't hurt."
With that, Kyung-Soo helped Park Yujin move in. They had a decent conversation and learned a few things about each other. Firstly, Yujin was an A-Rank hunter which was a surprise to Kyung-Soo. When he told her he was an E-Rank, it looked like she didn't believe him and it took some convincing that he was.
After he told her that her attitude towards him didn't change which took him by surprise again.
"Thanks for the help!" Yujin said with a smile. Kyung-Soo was enamored by her smile and it took him a moment to come to his sensss, "Uh, yeah! It's the least I can do for my new neighbor, despite you being an A-Ranker ehehehe."
"Oh and I'm making dinner later, would you like to join me and Haewon?" Kyung-Soo asked and Yujin tapped her chin in thought.
"Hmmm, yeah sure. Free dinner and free moving services, you sure are a good neighbor Mr.Yon." Yujin said with a teasing smile before she turned around and closed her door.
'Oi, I don't know if you noticed but that woman was staring right at me.' The fox, who decided to just be called Kurama anyways, said.
'Really?! I knew I felt a bit weird when she was staring at me but to be looking at you? That's scary…' Kyung-Soo said with a faux shiver.
'I didn't perceive any bloodlust and you would have noticed anyway, so I don't think she's a threat…yet.' Kurama said with a slight growl.
'Even if she was a threat right now, it's not like I could beat her in a fight, unless I let myself lose control which I obviously won't allow to happen.' Kyung-Soo clenched his fist in resolve, then his phone rang.
"Hunters Association? I hope their not gonna ask me anymore questions…" Kyung-Soo answered the phone.
"Hello is this Yon Kyung-Soo?"
"Yeah, whose this?"
"My name is Woo Jinchul, I'm the hunter who questioned you last time. I'm calling to inform you that Sung Jinwoo has woke up. Normally I wouldn't do this but he asked for me to tell you myself."
"T-Thank you Mr. Woo! I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can!" Kyung-Soo yelled as he hung up with tears in his eyes.
'JINWOO SURVIVED!' Kyung-Soo ran out of his apartment complex and caught a taxi to Seoul Metropolitan Hospital. He quickly informed the receptionist of who he was visiting and once given the ok, he ran towards Jinwoo's room at breakneck speeds.
"JINWOO!" Kyung-Soo yelled as he opened the door and saw Sung Jinwoo alive and well.
"Kyung-Soo…you're here faster than I expected," Jinwoo laughed and Kyung-Soo smiled with tears streaming down his face.
"*Sniff*, Of course! I'm glad to see that you lived!" Kyung-Soo cried and all Jinwoo could do is awkwardly smile. Kyung-Soo walked to the edge of his bed and spoke again, "Jinwoo I'm so sorry! If I could take your place I would without a doubt! The weak are supposed to stick together but I, no, we left you there to die!"
Jinwoo frowned a bit, "No, you didn't leave me there. Remember, I chose to stay despite knowing the consequences. Don't beat yourself up because of my choice Kyung-Soo."
Kyung-Soo looked at Jinwoo for a moment before wiping his tears and smiling, "In a battle of stubbornness you'd definitely win Jinwoo…" Kyung-Soo laughed and Jinwoo followed.
"But um Jinwoo, I have a question…"
Jinwoo looked at Kyung-Soo in confusion, "Huh?"
Kyung-Soo pointed, "Am I the only person who can see that screen?"
"So you can see it too! I thought I was going crazy! My sister couldn't see it and it seemed like none of the nurses or Mr. Woo Jinchul could see it either!" Jinwoo exclaimed.
"Did the weakest humans both gain a boon?" Kyung-Soo asked much to Jinwoo's confusion.
"What do you mean?" Kyung-Soo looked around before putting a finger to his lips, "Promise me you'll keep this a secret. "
Jinwoo zipped his lips. Kyung-Soo smiled and transformed. The heat wafting off his body made Jinwoo immediately start sweating.
"K-Kyung-Soo you…you changed!" Jinwoo said with wide eyes
"It's a long story I'll explain to you later, but let's figure out what the hell this screen is! And why that timer is running out…"